One of the best perks of choosing film criticism as a career is that you can tell people you watch The Three Stooges as work assignment and still keep a straight face. As a lifelong Stoogeafile, I was delighted to receive The Three Stooges Collection: Volume One from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. There have been more video releases of the Stooges shorts than there are ex-spouses ofElizabeth Taylor (hard as that is to believe), but the new set is most welcome because it contains all 19 of the mad lads' shorts for Columbia, made between 1934-1936. The two-disc set has been meticuously remastered from the original negatives - and the quality is pristine throughout.

The Three Stooges are an acquired taste and examplify why comedy, alone among all film genres, is almost impossible to critique in a way that would change anyone's mind about the worthiness of the movie. If you find something funny, no one will be able to talk you into having a different response. Coversely, all the analysis in the world cannot make a person laugh at a film they have initially found to be unfunny. In the case of the Stooges, there is also a great divide between the sexes. Yes, I know you can trot out some women who find them funny - and there are probably a handful of guys out there who never miss an episode of Oprah!. What is indisputable is that The Three Stooges are by-and-large "a guy thing." For decades, the war between men and women has often focused on the worthiness of The Stooges as comedy icons. Indeed, it's hard to defend them on any intellectual level. We know the minute we see their environment exactly what is going to happen. If a blow torch or vise is in the room, Curley's head will be the unwilling recipient of their attention. Moe and Larry will engage in more eye-gouging than Torquemada ever dreamed about. Yet, it's the sheer predictability of these situations and their inevitable conclusions that make The Stooges so consistently amusing. In an uncertain world, it's nice to have some predictability.

The new set features The Stooges' first Columbia short, Women Haters. The idea of putting grown men in a film in which the plot centers on their mutual avoidance of the fairer sex would have a much different premise today - and might end up as an episode of Queer as Folk. In this first Stooge vehicle, all of the dialogue is set to rhyme. The gimmick is cute at first but quickly wears thin. As the shorts progress, however, The Stooges soon settle into their defined roles: Moe as boss, Curley as the most knuckleheaded and Larry as the (comparative) voice of reason. Each of the two-reelers has its own distinct charm and some obviously fare better than others. One caveat, however: Sony has not seen fit to put on a single extra bonus feature - an oversight they should correct on future releases. There are more Stooge historians out there to populate a small nation. It would a great idea to include some overviews of this legendary team's remarkable career.

I look forward to future releases, especially those with Shemp. At the risk of certain death, I will state once again that Shemp is my favorite Stooge. This puts me on par with someone who thinks Zeppo was the best Marx Brother or Miles O'Keefe is the most legendary Tarzan. However, I am unwavering in my opinion and will challenge any reader who cares to initiate a debate. ("Resolved: Shemp is Funnier Than Curley")

If you have a spare 346 minutes with nothing to do (i.e you're serving a life sentence or are temporarily in an iron lung), there is no better way to pass the time than with The Three Stooges Collection: Volume 1. Is it worth the suggested retail price of $25? In the words of Curley, "Soitenly!" - Lee Pfeiffer

(Continue reading for a list of the shorts included in this collection)

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MGM (via Fox) have released a new boxed set of Vincent Price horror film titles that represent some of his finest work from the 1960s and 1970s. Vincent Price: MGM Scream Legends Collection features seven major releases in the form of double bill DVDs. Most have been available previously, but its great to have them all available in a single boxed set.

The jewel in the crown is the first American DVD release of Witchfinder General. We reported previously that Fox had been inspired to make the investment in a special edition of this film after reading Dave Worrall's in-depth report on the making of the movie in Cinema Retro issue #5. Filmed in England in the late 1960s, the movie had all the hallmarks of a disaster in the making. The 23- year old director Michael Reeves barely spoke to Price, who was portraying the infamous real-life Witchfinder Matthew Hopkins, a 17th century kook who traveled from village to village threatening to convict innocent souls of witchcraft if they did not heed his demands for money and sex. Reeves envisioned Donald Pleasence in the role and feared Price would give an over-the-top campy performance. Things got even worse when Price fell from his horse on the first day of shooting and suffered minor injuries.

The story behind the making of the film is told on a fascinating new documentary included on the DVD. Additionally, producer Philip Waddilove and actor Ian Ogilvy provided a joint commentary track that sheds new light on this cult classic. Ironically, perhaps in his determination to prove Michael Reeves wrong, Price gave what is arguably the best performance of his career. Devoid of the hystronics that often accompanied his work in the Roger Corman films, Price is believable and chilling. Then again, Witchfinder General is not a horror film, though it's depiction of torture and executions are undeniable horrible. The sequences, which were somewhat groundbreaking in their time, still shock today. Price and Reeves ultimately found mutual respect. Price realized that the young director had inspired him to exert his creative juices for the first time in many years. Reeves came to the conclusion that he had greatly underestimated Price's dramatic talents. The two even planned to team again on The Oblong Box, but Reeves slid into a self-destructive pattern of drug and alcohol abuse that lead to his death a short time later, never having had his talents appreciated. Even the film's U.S. marketing campaign was botched, with an absurd opening narrative added by Price in which he reads from Edgar Allan Poe's The Conqueror Worm in an attempt to link this film to the previous Poe-inspired hits Price had done for Roger Corman. In fact, the film has nothing to do with Poe or his poem. It's like having someone read Shakespeare in the introduction to It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World so it can be retitled As You Like It. The first VHS releases of the film in the USA were even more absurd. Copyright problems led to dropping composer Paul Ferris' brilliant score and replacing it by some hack humming away on a synthesizer.

This is the first time this superb film has been properly released in the USA. It should have a prominent place in the collections of all classic movie lovers.

Scan the net and you’ll find hundreds of “Classic Sci Fi Collections” which are mostly made up from terrible killer B’s and films that have fallen into public domain. Now however, I’m glad to say, we’ve finally found some form of intelligence out there with the release of this wonderful collection of some of the most outstanding sci-fi films of the 50’s.

This set is essentially the crème de la crème of the studio most associated with fans of the genre- Universal International. Every single one of the movies included here deserves the title “classic”.

First in the line up is the last truly great monster in the Universal ranks to match the classic roster of previous monsters such as Dracula, Frankenstein, The Mummy and The Wolfman. Look at any “classic horror” merchandizing and you’ll see The Creature From The Black Lagoon holding its own in this venerable Batpack of horror stars. The story goes that the inspiration for this movie came about when producer William Alland (a friend of Orson Welles and a Mercury player who’d starred as the reporter in Citizen Kane) discussed the story he’d been reading regarding a half man half fish creature of Amazonian myth. He was in good company as the initial design for The Creature, which Welles said he should make, was based on that of the Oscar! After talented artist Millicent Patrick became involved, along with veterans Jack Pierce Jack Kevan and Bud Westmore, the creature transformed from a smooth looking alien figure of Oscar to the Gill-Man we all know and love today. In the film, a scientific expedition searching for fossils along the Amazon River discover a prehistoric Gill-Man in the legendary Black Lagoon. The explorers capture the mysterious creature, but it breaks free. The Gill-Man returns to kidnap the lovely Kay, fiancée of one of the expedition, with whom it has fallen in love.

In essence CFTBL is a remake of King Kong, but is still one of the most original of all monster movies. As it was made in the 50’s it can be classed as a sci-fi film, which had, in essence, replaced the “horror” movie even though this is one of the few monsters that wasn’t woken or mutated by an atomic explosion of sorts.

Cinema Retro Editor-in-Chief Lee Pfeiffer looks at the new edition of the notorious French sexploitation film

Jerome Wybon, one of Cinema Retro's French correspondents, has recently completed a labor of love: producing and directing the documentary An Erotic Success on the new special DVD edition of Emmanuelle, the 1974 soft core erotic blockbuster that Lionsgate has just released in the USA. Naturally, I'd ordinarily be loathe to review a film with this much sex and nudity, but c'est la vie, in the interest of Monsieur Wybon, I thought I'd suffer through these tribulations to review the release that boasts his documentaries. It's a lousy job, but somebody had to do it.

I'm almost embarrased to admit I am among the few people on the planet who came of age in the 1970s who had not seen Emmanuelle. (I think there are two eunichs in India who share the distinction). Thus, I was able to view the new special edition DVD without any preconceived notions. I was well aware that although many people classify Emmanuelle as porn, these are the same folks who give that status to Playboy magazine. To be clear, Emmanuelle is not porn- never was and certainly is not by today's standards. However, this works in the film's favor. With the porn industry now so widespread even teenagers are dozing off looking at dirty images on their computers, there is something refreshing about the relative innocence of Emmanuelle both from the viewpoint of the film and it's titular (no pun intended) character. Unlike today's straight-to-video porn films, this one succeeds in rising above the norm on numerous levels. For one, it has truly impressive production values. The movie was shot mostly in Thailand and the low budget precluded the construction of sets. Thus, the filmmakers made excellent use of the majestic outdoor settings as well as eye-popping local residences. The cinematography is gorgeous and the film boasts an enchanting musical score.

The plot, such as it is, can be written on the head of a pin. Emmanuelle is a nubile young woman married to an "older" man of thirty-two. Her husband alternates between acting as a lover and a father figure for the impressionable and naive girl. They are sent to Thailand when her husband is assigned to the local French embassy. Like Beaver Cleaver's father, however, you don't see him doing much work at the office. Why should he with a nymphet wife at home who seems to have an insatiable curiosity about any aspect of sex? This type of work ethic may explain the collapse of French colonialism, but it also explains why the French seem to have more fun than anyone else. Because of her innocence and beauty, Emmanuelle is constantly the object of desire for free spirited men and women who move in her social circles. The swinging isn't just limited to the French expatriots living in Bangkok but also extends local girls who are instantly smitten with young Emmanuelle. All of this goes on with the encouragement of her husband who seems to put a few new notches in his own bedpost every evening through sleeping with the wives of fellow diplomats. The dramatic center of the film occurs when Emmanuelle goes on a spontaneous trip with a gorgeous lesbian and falls madly in love. The feeling is not mutual, however, and she returns to her husband emotionally devastated by the life lesson that women can use other women as sexual playthings just as men are prone to do. The final act of the story is as bizarre as it is unsatisfying. Emmanuelle's husband feels she needs the guidance of an older lover and sets her up with Mario, a French aristocrat old enough to be her grandfather. Mario proceeds to subject her to various sexual humiliations including gang rape and anal sex - all carried out by others as he mumbles enough mind-boggling philosophical theories to make you believe Emmanuelle has accidentally stumbled into Col. Kurtz's cave.

A special boxed set DVD edition of The World at War, the 1973 landmark documentary series is being re-released in the UK with hours of unseen footage not included in the original broadcast. The series was acclaimed as the most definitive documenatary about the greatest conflict of the 20th century - at least until Ken Burns' recently telecast The War. The series is based on the best-selling book by Richard Holmes. In the ensuing years, the series plays even better - and it's needed now more than ever. As school systems in Western nations inexplicably decline to stress the history of the war, young people are shockingly ignorant of the facts. A recent poll of American students found that a majority of them thought the USA fought with Germany against the Russians! The series is impeccably narrated by Lord Laurence Olivier and is presented on DVD by Ebury Press with a slew of extras that are as imposing as a Sherman tank. The boxed set includes:

• All 26 episodes of The World at War as originally telecast
• a three hour special including rare out-takes and interviews with the production team
• maps, songs, biographies and much more

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Lord Olivier during the narration sessions for The World at War